


Reincarnated as a Girl

by SassyAngel



Series: Tony Stark's Slow Burn [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, F/M, Female Tony Stark, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Isekai, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Mention of roofies, Not Canon Compliant, Reincarnation, Time Travel, Tony Stark-centric, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, tony stark is a badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:55:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25005766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassyAngel/pseuds/SassyAngel
Summary: By all accounts, he should be dead. He knew he should be dead. Bruce’s hand was basically destroyed and his body was resistant to radiation. Hell, Thanos’ hand was also destroyed after he used the gauntlet, and he was an alien for Tesla’s sake! Tony was just a normal human, admittedly an incredibly intelligent genius of a human, but normal nonetheless. His body wasn’t made to withstand the raw power of one infinity stone, let alone six. So yeah, he should be absolutely dead. 100% gone. Sixty feet under as opposed to the usual six. And yet…“Congratulations Ms. Stark, it’s a girl!”Or:In which I've been reading way too many reincarnation isekai manga and so Tony Stark is brought back to the moment of his birth after he snapped in Endgame, but this time as a girl!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Loki/Tony Stark
Series: Tony Stark's Slow Burn [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1415404
Comments: 129
Kudos: 1260





	1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark lived a long enough life, one that should have ended several times over if he was being honest. He’s survived a little over fifty years and, though there were heartbreaks and dark times, he couldn’t say he didn’t live a life worth living. He had his daughter, a beautiful wife and some trustworthy friends. He’s had so many regrets, like not being able to save the kid back on Titan, but he’s okay with that. He’s moved on the best way he could. He brought him back, and it was worth everything.

So, when he snapped his fingers, he was okay with dying. He understood the sacrifice he was making, but he'd do it again if he had to. It was so incredibly worth it, if only so his daughter could grow up to be the wonderful woman he knew she would be. It would be worth it if Peter lived on and became the best hero the Universe would ever see. It would be worth it if Pepper and Rhodey and Happy were safe. If Harley continued to grow and maybe even take over Stark Industries. If life on Earth was just a little less sad now than it was before. It was worth it.

“I am Iron Man.” He said as his final words, both as a snarky insult to Thanos as well as a farewell as sorts. This adventure began with those same words, it only made sense to end it in a similar fashion. Not to mention, he was stupidly terrible at proper goodbyes. Though he’ll admit this one was pretty needlessly dramatic, although he always did have a dramatic flare to him anyways so it was okay. So he closed his eyes, said his own version of goodbye, and snapped his finger.

By all accounts, he should be dead. He knew he should be dead. Bruce’s hand was basically destroyed and his body was resistant to radiation. Hell, Thanos’ hand was also destroyed after he used the gauntlet, and he was an alien for Tesla’s sake! Tony was just a normal human, admittedly an incredibly intelligent genius of a human, but normal nonetheless. His body wasn’t made to withstand the raw power of one infinity stone, let alone six. So yeah, he should be absolutely dead. 100% gone. Sixty feet under as opposed to the usual six. And yet…

And yet he could open his eyes and see a bright light. His first thought was something along the lines of “oh shit there’s a heaven?” Immediately followed with “how the fuck did I get placed in heaven?” However, as his eyes adjusted he could discern a masked face hovering over him. Panic set in and his mind started trying to find solutions. Was he maybe brought back from the dead? Did he somehow survive? Was he kidnapped? Did he need to find a way out?

It calmed him down a bit when he noticed the masked figure was actually a doctor, carefully looking at him with bright eyes. Suddenly, Tony felt a sharp pain on his posterior and he gasped. He thought he heard someone crying, and his mind went on alert. His eyes focused on the doctor in front of him, trying to understand what she wanted from him. Slowly, she pulled down her mask, revealing a genuine smile.

“Congratulations Ms. Stark, it’s a girl!”

Hold the phone. What? Tony tried his damn best not to panic as he attempted to figure out just what the hell was happening. Was he on drugs? He doesn’t remember any of his trips being this bad. Or maybe he had gone insane. That was a likely explanation. The stones could have just made him go coo-coo for Coco Puffs instead of killing him. Yeah, that makes more sense, so that had to be it.

He then felt like he was lifted up gently and placed on something warm. Tony frowned, trying to assess his surroundings. He was in someone’s arms, and he realized that he had been the one who was crying. So, in his infinity-stone high, he was some sort of baby? Okay, he could work with that. He looked up to see just who it was that was holding him and suddenly he felt a loss of oxygen. The sight was breathtaking, and Tony almost started crying again out of frustration.

Looking down at him with a familiar kind smile and the same chocolate brown eyes that he had was one Maria Stark. He suddenly found himself praying that this wasn’t some dream, or post death limbo thing. Please, let her be real. Maybe he had died after all, and he was just reunited with his mom. He could only hope and pray that was the case. Maybe, just maybe he could finally be at rest and happy.

“What will you name her?” A nurse with a husky voice asked. He was looking straight at Tony. Wait… her? Tony blinked, not quite understanding just what the nurse had meant. It was only then that he realized the doctor had also referred to him as a female. Okay. Tony gave up. There was no use trying to make sense of this situation he -she?- was in.

“Antoinette.” Maria whisper smiled, as if she had just told Tony a secret. Tony looked at her, at how much love and adoration was in her eyes, and suddenly he didn’t care anymore. Whatever the hell kind of situation he was in, he didn’t care. He’d just enjoy the moment and, for once in his life, relax.

“She’s smiling! Oh and giggling too. I think she liked her name.” Another nurse commented. Tony had a feeling he wouldn’t like Antoinette, just as he didn’t like Anthony, but that was fine. He’d just have everyone call him… her Toni.

\---

It was weird, she mused. Being a child with the memories of an entire lifetime, the same lifetime albeit that of a male’s. Toni thought she’d have a hard time adjusting to her newer body and it’s… different plumbing -for lack of a better term. She was pleasantly surprised to find that she had been wrong, though it might be because she had always thought that her gender was irrelevant. Growing up as a guy had never been about proving her masculinity, but rather about proving her intellect. The same held true now, actually, except it was a little bit different. Then again, it could always be that the stones also changed something in her brain, making it more comfortable in a female body than that of a male's. She could only make guesses at this point, but ultimately she’d never really know. It didn’t really affect her anyways, so she decided that just this once she’d just accept it as it was at face value.

As a guy, everyone had expected Toni to take after Howard and be a carbon copy. As a girl, they still expected her to be smarter than the average joe, but more in the sense of elegance and poise. They didn’t care if she would be a genius in mechanics or an advanced mathematician; no, they wanted her to be well versed in literature and as articulate as an aristocrat from the 19th century. She was expected to be a scholar, but one that would work as an advisor of sorts for her future husband who would undoubtedly inherit the company through their marriage. Fuck that.

Just like last time, Toni found herself sneaking into Howard’s workshop and learning how to use her newer body to build beautiful machines. She went through the motions she was so used to as Tony Stark, but it was weird and almost clunky at first. Her body just didn’t have the muscle memory that she was used to, but that just meant she had to spend more time working in the lab -not a terrible fate. She found that she wasn’t as strong as she had been when she was male, but she was more flexible. It wasn’t really much of a drawback, it just meant she had to be a bit more creative with how she did things.

She was five years old now, and she was pretty adept at sneaking into Howard’s lab. To be fair, he wasn’t as spiteful as he had been last time. He was a bit more gentle, in a way. It was probably because she was a girl. She wasn't sure why her gender made such a difference, but whatever. 

"Why do I always find you in my lab, Toni?" She heard her father sigh in annoyance behind her. She was dismantling a broken watch she found in the trash pile a night ago. She'd rather use actual parts that would make decent creations, but she would have to make due until she was old enough to actually handle said parts. Toni blinked, and looked up at her father. She remembered he asked a question similar to this when she was a boy, and his answer had been that he enjoyed working in the lab. It was true, Toni adored working in a lab… but it hadn't been completely honest. At first, the reason she would always sneak into her father's lab was that she wanted to spend as much time with her dad as possible. Eventually the reason became more to spite her father for always shunning his son, and finally it turned into true love for the lab. 

When young Tony told his dad that he liked working on the lab, Howard reacted with annoyance. Maybe Toni should change the answer this time. "Because I want to work with you daddy! I miss you." She was surprised to realize that it was true, in some sense. She did miss Howard, even if he was a shit dad. She looked up at her dad, curious to see what he would say. They had a staring contest before Howard sighed and moved to pick her up. She couldn't say she was too surprised that he was going to kick her out of the lab already. What was she expecting? 'My greatest creation was you' felt like bullshit now.

"Don't touch anything." Howard warned, and that got Toni's attention fast. She realized he had picked her up only to place her on his lap. Now, he was working on… looks like a rifle design. She was so incredibly tempted to just grab his tools and improve it, but she stayed still and settled with simply observing. This was the first time her father let her stay in the lab with him, after all. 

"Thank you, father." She whispered, feeling giddy. For the first time, she had hope for her relationship with her father. 

"What happened to 'daddy'?" Howard huffed out, but Toni could hear the smile in his voice.

"Thank you, daddy!" Toni giggled and continued to just watch her father work. It was very silent, as Howard couldn't multitask as well as she could. Then again, both father and daughter were invested in the work. Toni actually enjoyed watching her dad work, it was far more different than how she did things. Their way of thinking was incredibly different, and so was their technique. Toni was amazing at what she did, but she was self taught. It was no wonder Howard did things differently, maybe she could still learn a thing or two from him.

"I'm surprised you're not moving around, or getting bored." Howard admitted after a few more minutes of silence. Toni looked up at him with a frown. It made sense for him to think that; she was a very active child. She wondered if that was the reason he hated having her in the lab, was he simply concerned for her wellbeing?

"I like watching you work." She said simply, looking back at his calloused hands. Howard hummed in response, and kept on working. They stayed like that until Maria called them for dinner.

Living in the Stark manner was almost the same now as it was before. Maria was a marvelous mother who would sing bedtime stories to Toni and teach her Italian. Of course, Toni already knew Italian, as well as a myriad of other languages, but what Maria didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Jarvis was still more of a dad than Howard, though it was weird him calling her 'young miss' rather than 'young master'. There was still an uncle Obie in the picture, though Toni refused to let her guard down in front of him. Howard trusted him, and wouldn't listen to her when she said he was no good; but she was just biding her time until she had enough evidence to send him to jail. And Howard, well Howard was still a pretty cruddy dad with an obsession to find his long lost friend -Toni was almost tempted to tell him where Rogers was, but the world would need him later on. He was still as impatient and selfish as always, but there would be random times where he would just pick up Toni and drag her to the lab with him. Those were by far Toni's favorite times.

At first she would only be able to watch, and she didn't dare ask for more. She'd secretly come back or take tools she knew her father didn't use up to her room to work while everyone else was asleep. Jarvis would keep her secret as long as she didn't injure herself. Eventually, though, Howard actually started teaching her how to use the tools and how to build. Gradually, he would let her do more and more in the lab until, when she was twelve, the two of them would work on things together. Howard was actually proud with how she 'turned out' and would entrust her with some of SI's projects. She never worked on weapons, though. Howard refused to let her work on weapons. "My daughter shouldn't be made to handle such dangerous tools." It was a bullshit excuse, but Toni was fine with it if it meant she never had to sell another weapon. She ended up focusing more on combat gear and even body armor. 

"You're not allowed to have a boyfriend." Howard once told her while they were working together in the lab. It was odd, considering there was an unspoken rule never to talk in the workshop when they were working.

"Don't I have to marry someone for them to take over SI?" Toni remarked, raising a brow. There was still talk about that, even though she was only 12. Toni still had to figure out a way around that, though she was a strong believer in complaining about it until her parents finally got fed up and decided, sure, she could take over SI.

"No need. Maria and I both know you're more capable than any of the candidates we could find." Howard huffed out with a smirk. "Besides, boys are idiots." The two looked at each other, having a moment of understanding, before they remembered they were both allergic to emotions and returned to their work. Though, Toni couldn't help the smile on her face and Howard couldn't help but feel like he did something right for once.

"Okay dad, no boyfriends." Howard let out a boisterous laugh, one Toni had only ever rarely heard. It felt like walking on cloud nine.

She still ended up going to MIT at age 15. It was a bit of a bummer, considering she wanted to spend as much time with her parents as she could… Especially since Howard was acting more like a dad this time around. There was also the constant anxiety about what would happen in two years; the Winter Soldier would come and kill them. She had to stop that, but she didn't know how. The plus side to going to college was that she would have more free time in her hands, as she already finished said college and had a decent enough memory on everything she did. There was also Rhodey.

They wouldn't be roommates this time, considering the fact that she was a girl and he was a boy and that was a big no-no. She felt more comfortable rooming with Rhodey than she would with a random girl. She ended up rooming alone this time, though that might have something to do with Howard's meddling and less with the lack of potential roommates. 'A girl of your stature should have her privacy' was his excuse. Toni knew by now that this was his way of showing he cared.

Meeting Rhodey this time around was a very different experience than last time. Well, it was more eventful at least; though one that did end up pissing her off.

“What’s a black kid doing here?” One of the two boys said, crowding over Rhodey’s sitting form like some wannabe bully. Toni knew that if Rhodey really wanted to, he could probably fuck that kid up several times over to the point that not even his momma would recognize him. He was too patient for that though, too used to the insults because people were still racists snobs sometimes. “Isn’t this school too hard for a dumb fuck like you?”

“Yeah, get lost idiot.” The second boy said, laughing obnoxiously. Toni saw Rhodey’s face darken with annoyance, but otherwise he didn’t say anything else. His momma raised him right, Toni knew that. Unfortunately for the two boys, Toni’s parents weren’t quite the best at raising her. Bless her mom, but her family was so dysfunctional it was hilarious.

“Is that seriously all you’ve got?” She said with her trademark grin. Rhodey’s frown deepened, probably thinking she was there to join the two boys in their poorly done bullying. “Really? You’re going to try and insult him ‘cause of his pretty chocolate skin?” Toni tisked, shaking her head. She crossed her arms and walked closer to the three boys.

“And you’re just a woman.” Boy number one said.

“Oh, and now it’s about gender! Bigots will be bigots huh cupcake?” She asked Rhodey with a smile. His frown turned to one of confusion, but there was a smile hidden there somewhere. She could feel it. She turned to look at the two boys that were still crowding Rhodey, and her smile sharpened considerably. “Okay, listening to you two is actually kinda sad so I’ll help you out. Lessen number one, you really shouldn’t try to intimidate someone who’s twice your size in muscle. That’s basically just asking to get your undies knocked right out of ya.” She put up one finger. “Lesson two is that you should really look into a dictionary if you want to try and insult someone.” She looked over one of the boys while putting up a second finger. “Here, I’ll give you an example. It’s honestly no wonder you have so much free time to spend harassing one of the school’s smartest kids. I mean, I’m sure you’re not stupid, you probably just have bad luck when it comes to using your brain. And it’s just so nice to see that you aren’t letting your education get in the way of your ignorance. By the way, I like your jacket! It's really good at covering up jackasses like you!” Her smile and cheerful disposition never faltered, and she could tell Rhodey was hiding his smile. He was probably choking down his laughter too, considering how red his face was getting and how much he was shaking.

“Shut up Bitch.” Boy number two stepped up, towering over her easily.

“Oh! I see you got lesson number one in the bag! Nice, nice. So, lesson number three…” The boy went to hit her, but she easily dodged it and happily retaliated with a hit to his gut. “Don’t piss me off.” She grabbed the boy’s arm, and hurled him over her shoulder. 

The other boy tried to hit her too while she was distracted, but she easily dodged him as well. "Oh man, maybe I should rewrite lesson number one. You guys suck at fighting… maybe just don't step up at all." She snickered dodging another punch. Before he could try again, she quickly used all of her momentum to deliver a roundhouse kick -one that hit hard. "Oh, done already?" She looked at the two boys struggling to get up and shook her head. "Well then, kindly fuck off."

Rhodey looked at her as though she were insane, and perhaps she was. There was a stereotype about rich girls, and she knew she looked like she fit the bill. Truth be told, she still liked to act the part, just like she did in her past life, but she knew better than to actually become the part. That was her mistake last time. She shook her head, deciding to think about this at another time. Right now she had to give all of her attention to Rhodey and hope for the best.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Rhodey said while she watched the two boys scurry off. Toni turned her head to look at him and smiled.

“I know, but I’m allergic to morons and they were killing me.” She winked.

“Oh, and here I thought you were here to save me.” He said with a huff, making Toni’s smile widen. She was worried they wouldn’t get along as well since A., their interactions weren’t going to be entirely genuine as she knew a lot more about him than he did her, and B., she wasn’t his roommate nor was she a guy anymore. Rhodey wasn’t one to look down on girls or anything, but sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone who’s the same gender as you. Social norms are dumb.

“Two birds cupcake.” She hummed gleefully. “I’m Toni, by the by.” She extended a hand and gave him her kindest smile. 

“James.” He took her hand and shook it, sporting a smile of his own. 

“Jimmy, got it!” She joked, knowing the name wouldn’t stick, Rhodey’s flat stare was enough to tell her as much. She laughed either way. “Say, James, want to come over and paint each other’s nails?” She asked, batting her eyes. “Mom says that’s the best way to make friends, apparently.” Toni had to bite her inner lip not to laugh at the face Rhodey was making right now. Either he wasn’t very interested in painting nails with a stranger, or he was concerned that Toni thought that was the only way to make friends. It was probably the latter considering they did paint their nails together once for shits and giggles when Toni was Tony. “I’m joking.” She clarified, still trying to keep from laughing loudly. “You like video games?” 

“You’re kind of a weird kid.” Rhodey mentioned, but he was smiling again so Toni didn’t care. She just smiled brighter, if anything. “Yeah, I like games.” This was how they met for the second first time. And, just as Toni had hoped, they got on like a house on fire. Soon, they were almost inseparable; though that could also be because Toni continuously pestered Rhodey and refused to leave him alone.

“Toni Stark, right?” A very annoyingly familiar voice called from behind her. Today she and Rhodey were sitting outside while working on their classwork. Toni was mostly done, having already done this once upon a time, but she pretended to still have a lot to do so she could keep hanging out with Rhodey. She turned her head and, sure enough, the familiar face of Tiberius Stone was looking at her with that same warm smile that had her fooled once.

“The one and only. And you are?” She looked at him up and down, more judgemental than appreciative. This was one experience she really wasn’t going to relive, so she wanted nothing to do with him.

“Tiberius Stone.” He answered with a cocky grin, beside him on both sides were his ‘friends’. Lackeys, more like. 

“Cool.” She turned back to her homework. She noticed Rhodey glaring at Stone-boy and she couldn’t help the smile forming on her face. He always was a protective friend, and it was glad to see some things didn’t change. “Hey, Rhodes, are you any good with coding? I’m thinking of making a new friend.” She had already written most of the code for JARVIS, so she didn’t really need any outsider opinion… but she really wanted to get the hell away from one Tiberius Stone and also wanted to brag a bit about her baby. Two birds and all that.

“I know a bit.” He looked at her, already knowing what she was doing. It was pretty obvious, with how she was blatantly ignoring the guy who dared interrupt their little study date. Rhodey had a bad feeling about the guy, and he was glad to see Toni did too. 

“So, Toni,” Tiberius took a seat beside Toni, leaning on the table with a grin. Toni noticed the grin was less cocky and more panicked, like he hadn’t expected her to outright dismiss him. She felt shamelessly euphoric about it. “There’s going to be a party over at Justin’s frat house tonight. It could use some flair… So, you in?” Toni stared at him, remembering how in her first college party as Tony she was royally fucked over. She can vividly remember her father’s disappointed glare the very next day, and she had felt so wrong and sick. 

“Nah, thanks for the invite though.” The smile on Tiberius’ lips almost dropped entirely.

“Come on, please?” He was begging. Why was he so interested in getting her to go to this party with him. She remembered that in her last lifetime Tiberious had some sick obsession with her, enough to even murder his own parents, but she had avoided any interaction with him in this lifetime. She sighed.

“She said no, Stone.” Rhodey placed a protective hand on her shoulder, full out glaring at Tiberius.

“Wasn’t talking to you, dickwad.” Toni immediately bristled, ready to punch this asshole in the face. Suddenly, the protective hand turned into one that held her back. How is it that Rhodey already knew her so well? She huffed out, but decided to hold still just this once. 

“Well I am talking to you.” Rhodey said casually, not really hostile but not quite kind either. It was that kind of scary calm that Rhodey pulled off frighteningly well. She noticed that the lackeys started to bristle, and Tiberius looked a bit trigger happy too. If she didn’t step in there would probably be a fight, and, while she had complete and total confidence in the thought that she and Rhodey would win, she really wasn’t in the mood for pointless violence right now.

“Okay, how about this. I’ll consider going, but cupcake’s coming too.” She said fully leaning back on Rhodey. Tiberius looked from Rhodey to her before cracking a smile.

"Sure thing, I'll see you there." And with that, this idiot left with his posse. After a moment of silence, Rhodey turned to her with a frown.

“Are you actually thinking of going?” He asked, and she smiled at him.

“Sure, why not? Something fun might happen.” She hummed, looking back at her laptop screen. “Wouldn’t it just be hilarious if Tiberius’ car was suddenly painted pink? Or maybe if someone dropped a bucket of cold water on his head? Nah, that’s lame. Oh! What if I hacked into his computer and found some really embarrassing baby pictures? Do people store baby pictures at this time? I don’t remember. Would be quite funny if everyone was invited to that album at the party, though.” She continued to think of potential petty pranks to do at the part, and Rhodey could only look at her.

“Eggs and feathers?” Rhodey offered after a minute. Toni thought about it for a moment before grinning madly.

“Simple, yet effective.” She nodded. “Okay, let’s turn that dick into a chicken. It’ll be hilarious.” 

It was, actually. It was incredibly hilarious and she doubted Tiberius would ever ask her to go to a party ever again, but it was so very worth it. The moment he was egged and feathers were thrown at him (it really didn’t take much convincing to get a lot of people involved) he left the party. What a sore loser, Toni thought as she swirled the drink in her hand. The rest of the party was pretty much exactly how she remembered college parties were. She could tell a lot of people were interested in embarrassing her, though, just like they did with Stone. She wouldn’t fall for it a second time though.

“Aren’t you going to drink that?” Rhodey asked her. "You've been holding that cup for five minutes now." 

"You've been watching me?" Tony gasped, trying to hide her tell-tale smirk. Rhodey was no fool though, he saw right through her; like he always did.

"Har har. Very funny." He huffed. "I was worried something would happen to you, so I just kept an eye out." He murmured. "It's why I agreed to come in the first place. I generally hate parties." That… that hit hard. Toni never knew Rhodey wasn't a fan of parties like this, but he always followed her in her last life. He was always there to watch over her, even when she wasn't a girl. All this time she thought Rhodey was just shy, but really enjoyed parties. All this time, she was wrong. She smiled sadly and looked at her drink wondering what she ever did to deserve him.

“I thought you’d like parties.” She admitted a bit sadly. “I don’t know, maybe you’d interact with new people who weren’t complete assholes and make friends that aren’t batshit crazy like me.” Rhodey raised a brow at her.

“Trust me, I’d rather deal with your crazy than their brand of ‘friendship’.” Toni frowned at him, wondering if maybe she had forced Rhodey into being her friend. Maybe he didn’t want to ‘deal’ with her… Oh man, she was a terrible person wasn’t she? Rhodey shook his head as if knowing exactly what Toni was thinking. “I’m kidding, Tones, believe it or not I actually like spending time with you. But these guys? They’re not nice people, but you are.” Toni blinked.

“Huh.” She looked at Rhodey and then smiled coyly. “Why are we here then? Next time, let’s just bail.” Rhodey chuckled, shaking his head.

“Why don’t we just bail now? I know several places much better than this one to hang out.” Toni could easily agree with him, but as of right now she was on a mission. She had to stay, at least for a bit.

"It's not my drink." She admitted, answering Rhodey’s long forgotten question and swirling the drink with her hand. "It belongs to some girl who happened to leave it on the table." She explained, tipping the cup slightly to the direction of that same table.

"Why did you take her drink?" Rhodey frowned, not quite getting her logic. Why take a drink if you aren't even going to drink it? And why was this relevant to them escaping this party?

“I saw some asshole put something in that girl’s cup.” She hummed in contemplation. "I'm holding onto it and trying to figure out how to make it look like I'm drinking it."

"Why?" 

"I'm Toni Stark." She said with the usual confidence that came with that proclamation. "Why go for some random pretty face when you can go for a bratty rich kid who probably got here 'cause of her daddy's money? I mean, bragging rights… right?" She noticed Rhodey's face grow dark, and she couldn't say she blamed him. It was a rather fucked up thing to think about. "As long as I'm holding onto this cup, that bastard thinks he'll get me and won't go for another girl. When I figure out how to look like I'm drinking this and get rid of the liquid in here, I'll pretend I'm affected by the drink. He'll probably try and grab me then, and when we're alone I'm going to kick his ass." It was a good plan, she mused. Hopefully it would teach the guy a lesson. 

Rhodey looked at her for a moment before he huffed in annoyance. Yeah, Rhodey would probably think her plan was stupid. But hey, it would all work out one way or another. Maybe she could have him work with her! She expected him to begrudgingly offer his assistance, like he always did whenever she came up with these dumb plans, or even just step aside and let her do her thing. She did not, however, expect him to simply grab the drink from her hand. "Hey!" She complained trying to get it back, but Rhodey was already making his way towards the kitchen. "Rhodey gimme that back." She whined, following him and trying to reach for her drink. Curse her tiny physique, and curse Rhodey for using it against her. She couldn't do anything as he poured her roofied drink down the drain. "Why would you do that?" She sighed, feeling slightly defeated.

"Toni I know you were trying to do good and I know you're tough as nails… but this? This is a monumentally idiotic idea and I can't believe someone as smart as you thought it up." He threw the plastic cup away and crossed his arms. He was glaring at her now, was that disappointment in his face? No, it looked more like an angry concern. "Your heart was in the right place, but who's to say it would go according to plan? What if instead of teaching him a lesson, you just encouraged him to be more violent? What if he starts to target you personally? What if it was more than one guy? What if you fail to stop him?" When he put it like that, Rhodey had a point. Toni felt herself frown, looking down. "Sometimes Toni, I think you're too giving. You're a kind person, and people can take advantage of that… I wish you were more selfish." He shook his head. "Don't put yourself in danger if you can simply avoid it." He chided softly, putting both hands on her shoulders.

"So he gets away?" She asked quietly, ruefully. It was unfair that scum like that could get away with shit like this.

"No. We figure out a way to get him locked up without putting you in danger." Rhodey shook his head. "Catch him in the act and expose him. Find evidence and use it against him." 

"Okay. I can do that." She nodded, feeling newfound determination. She had her phone with her, one leagues ahead of any current brick. It was similar to the StarkPhones of the future in all aspects, but she was the only one who had one. The world isn't ready for this, after all. 

"I'll help you." He smiled kindly. “Do you want me to get you something else to drink?” He asked with a wink.

"Oh yes please, but don't mind me when I conveniently place it somewhere without paying attention." She grinned at him. She had to admit that she missed the days where Rhodey was her partner in crime. She was glad she had him again in this lifetime and she hoped they would be friends until her dying breath. 

In the end, they managed to catch the jackass red handed. The next day, the police got an anonymous video of him trying to put drugs in girls' drinks and he wasn't seen since. Toni couldn't help the victorious grin that formed on her face, and she noticed Rhodey sported a similar one. They were sitting down on a grassy hill, lazing about and eating sandwiches (a simple PB&J as Toni was no chef) before they had to go to their respective classes. 

"You know, aside from your roofied drink, I don't think I saw you grab anything else from the shelf." Rhodey mentioned before taking a bite. He briefly wondered if this was a decent meal in Toni's eyes, it was all he saw her eating. He made a note to drag her home sometime and have her eat with his family.

“That's because I didn't." She smiled brightly at him. "I’m underaged, not to mention I don’t want to be an alcoholic like dad.” She explained. She remembered how dependent on the bottle she had been before. She somehow still felt a mental need for a good drink, ruefully remembering the pleasant burn of strong whiskey down her throat. She could simply just monitor her alcohol intake this time around, but she decided she didn't want to risk it. She vividly remembered Pepper's concerned gaze and Rhodey's sad smile whenever they saw her with another bottle. No, this time she would figure out a different way to forget her problems and numb away the pain. A healthier one, too. She refused to replace one problem with another.

"That's surprisingly mature of you." Rhodey commented.

"I can be surprisingly mature sometimes." She winked at him. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to popular demand and my increased inability to sleep, have this!
> 
> Also, what the fuck are action sequences and how do you write one?

Two years passed faster than Toni would have liked, but she had enjoyed every second of it. Rhodey and her had become inseparable and could rarely be seen apart from one another. Toni knew Rhodey had other friends aside from her that he enjoyed spending time with, but most of the time he’d rather hang around her. At first, when she realized she was monopolizing all of Rhodey’s time, she tried distancing herself a bit in hopes that he wouldn’t get annoyed at her. The moment he realized what was happening he threatened to handcuff the two of them together until Toni got over herself. 

It wasn’t long before people started wondering about them and their relationship. Neither Toni nor Rhodey really thought much about it aside from “we’re best of pals” until someone outright asked "so are you two together or something?" Toni did her best not to gag at the thought of dating Rhodey. It's not that she didn’t love him, it's that she loved him like a brother. She glanced at him, and was relieved to see he was sporting a similar expression.

"No. We aren't." He said firmly before looking at her. The moment he saw her grin approvingly at him, the tenseness in his shoulders relaxed and he gave her a fond look. "It's just that if I don't look after her I'm afraid she'd take over the world out of boredom." His eyes widened when Toni's grin turned manic.

"Oh, what a splendid idea!" She immediately turned and ran. "Thanks Rhodes!" She yelled after him as she ran towards her dorm room, laughing carefree when she heard Rhodey's long winded sigh. Those were some of Toni’s best days, though she knew they were going to run short soon enough. 

Rhodey, the ever observant best friend, couldn’t help but notice how Toni was progressively looking more and more worn down the closer it came to winter break. He knew Toni’s home situation wasn’t really ideal; what with Howard running off to find his long lost buddy in butt-fuck nowhere and Maria not quite sure how to properly handle such a genius kid, it wasn’t much of a shock that Toni didn’t understand what a functional family was like. He knew she had an interesting relationship with her dad, one where they both respected each other and cared for one another, but were so emotionally constipated that they didn’t know how to interact outside of the lab. And he knew she adored her mom, even if she practically let her daughter run wild with little to no guidance. 

Despite all of their shortcomings, Toni was always looking forward to when she got to go back home. Toni also absolutely adored her butler Jarvis, almost like he himself was family. So really, Rhodey couldn’t really think of a reason why Toni didn’t want to go back home. When he asked her she simply smiled wryly and claimed to have a bad feeling. He couldn’t help but feel like there was more to it. “If you ever need a place to go, you’re always welcome to come over Tones.” He once told her honestly, ignoring the way his bones cracked when she gave him a hug. 

Eventually, Thanksgiving passed and Christmas was fast approaching. Toni continuously pestered both of her parents without remorse, deciding to spend every second of the day with them if she could. She was surprised with how they took it with stride, letting her wiggle her way towards wherever they were going.

“Okay, why are you following us around like this, sweetheart?” Her mother finally asked after the fifth time she snuck into the car to go with them wherever they were heading towards. “Is this your version of a rebellious phase?” Tony noticed her father’s shoulders shake lightly from internalized laughter, but she decided not to comment on it.

“I just really miss you guys.” She said with a shrug, not quite telling the full truth but not quite lying either. “I spent my whole life, literally a decade and a half, with you and then suddenly I’m elsewhere because education is supposedly important.” She huffed, fastening her seatbelt with purpose. “Since I’m on break, I’m going to spend as much of it with you as I can.” She noticed her mother’s eyes soften.

“Okay.” Since then, neither her mother nor her father bothered asking her if she would like to join them in their ride. They’d simply tell her they were going somewhere and in less than a minute she was ready to go. The amount of times she ended up being a glorified bag holder was ridiculous, but it was worth it if only because she got to see them alive. 

She briefly entertained the idea that maybe, just maybe, Barnes wouldn’t come for her parents. Sure she met Rhodey at M.I.T., but maybe that was just a coincidence. It took her a total of three seconds to scoff that theory away. She doubted it wouldn’t happen, and she would prepare herself as best she could; which was almost completely unprepared considering she didn’t have as much of a free reign as she wanted.

This meant she couldn’t just build an Iron Man suit or even some sort of weapon. Her dad had eyes on her whenever she was in the lab, and there was nowhere subtle for her to try and build it. She couldn’t exactly just build a suit under his nose, and she sure as hell wouldn’t be able to give any reasonable explanation as to why she could build something so impossibly futuristic. By doing that, she would be needlessly exposing herself to the world and painting an even bigger target on her family’s back. 

She couldn’t build a gun for her to use, plus she doubted she’d be able to sneak it into the car. She also just didn’t like using guns. So guns were also a big no. Knives maybe? She highly doubted she’d survive a close-up fight with a trained assassin. Sure, she had memories of how to fight from her previous timeline, but her fighting style was always based on the suit; and sure she’s been doing various forms of martial arts since she was young, having begged her parents for self defense classes, but Barnes would have more years of experience than her. He also trained against deadlier opponents than her. 

Fighting him in general just seemed like an awful plan, so she’d just let that be plan B. What she did have was a memory of the trigger words. She had helped Barnes with the trigger in the previous timeline by giving him access to BARF; so she had to program in the trigger words. She was thankful she decided to memorize that shit. Plan A was to use Barnes’ brainwashing against him and make him get the fuck out of her parents’ front yard. She also had a safehouse she bought using an alias right under her dad’s nose, but she couldn’t go there lest someone make the connection of that building with her. 

For a moment, she debated simply trying to convince her parents not to leave at all. If they weren’t on the road when they were supposed to be, then there was no danger of them getting killed; Barnes wouldn’t be able to find them and they would be safe. The problem with that plan, however, was that HYDRA would absolutely try again and she wouldn’t know when they would hit. She had to take Barnes on when she knew he would be there, otherwise she’d be going in blind. Not to mention she doubted either parent would cancel their much deserved vacation just because of her whims; they loved her, but that was too much to ask.

She hummed softly as she made the finishing touches for JARVIS’ code. He was so very much beautiful and she couldn’t wait to see how this version of JARVIS grew up. She’d have to make FRIDAY again at some point. She considered making a different A.I. altogether, not wanting to simply replace her dear old JARVIS from her previous lifetime; but she decided that if babies that were born in her last timeline could still be born in this timeline, then JARVIS should have a chance to exist in this timeline as well. This time, though, she wouldn’t accidentally get him killed. 

“Hello, I am JARVIS, your personal assistant and companion.” Tony grinned cheekily with the slight addition of code she added. It would be rendered absolutely pointless after this moment, but by Newton was it worth it… even if no one would ever get the reference until many, many years later.

“Hi JARVIS, I’m Toni Stark.” She smiled. “Would you like to help me make you a baby brother?” Dum-E, U and Butterfingers had yet to be built and since she technically didn’t want to stand out too much more than she already has, she decided to somewhat follow her previous timeline’s example. Dum-E was going to be her senior thesis, and then she’d get two more additions to her robotic family.

“Antoinette Stark, daughter of Howard and Maria Stark. Future C.E.O. of Stark Industries and my creator.” JARVIS was looking through the database she made for him. What a smart bean. “It would be my pleasure to assist you, Sir.” Toni smiled. She wanted JARVIS to keep calling her ‘sir’, despite the change in gender; it was what he had always called her and she felt nostalgic. Maybe one day she’d be able to let go of that, but for now this was what she wanted.

“It’s good to have you onboard, J.” She said honestly as she finished creating an app on her phone that allowed JARVIS to be with her at all times. “We’re going to have to keep you a secret for a bit. We’re nowhere near as advanced in computer science to explain an A.I. as advanced as you.” 

“Of course, Sir.” JARVIS responded easily. Toni beamed at her computer.

At night, she was usually found awake preparing for the 16th. She had little to no time left, but that was fine. She snuck into her father’s lab and eventually created a version of the serum that would only work for an hour before the person who took it returned to being a normal human; when she was confident it would work she even tested it herself, much to JARVIS’ chagrin. It paid off to study Extremis and all of her father’s notes on the Super Soldier Serum in her previous life. She happily dumped all of the super soldier serums down the drain and refueled the vials with her mock serum. She then made one extra vial for herself to use on her encounter with Barnes; just in case.

She hummed happily as she got rid of any evidence. She refused to allow the creation of any more Super Soldier assassins, regardless if they were HYDRA or SHIELD or whatever; two was more than enough. Now, all she needed to do was get two tranquilizers and she’d be set! She vividly remembered her dad clumsily walking out of the car only to get shot. She refused to let that happen and, besides, she didn’t really want either of her parents to see her fight a super soldier.

Soon enough, she was as prepared for the confrontation as best she could. She was tired and nervous, but she was ready. She continued to spend every waking moment with her parents, making sure they’d never leave the house without her. 

Eventually, much to Toni’s despair, the 16th came. Toni took a moment to just breathe and calm down her nerves before tackling on this fuckfest of a day. First and foremost was to make sure her parents would take her along with them. She’s been tagging along every time, so maybe they’ll be a bit more accepting of her presence in the trip. 

“Toni, we can’t take you with us to the airport.” Her mother offered a smile. “You know we’ve been planning this for some time now… just this once let us go?” No way in hell, Toni thought. She smiled cheekily and shook her head.

“I can drive the car back! I just want to spend as much time with you as possible before you two abandon me here in this big, old and empty mansion.” She pretended to feel hurt, though both parents knew it was just an act and simply rolled their eyes at her antics.

“We’re going somewhere we can’t take you.” Howard sighed, surprising both Maria and Toni. Neither woman thought he’d reveal that much to Toni, SHIELD being a super secret and all that.

“How about this, you blind fold me the way there.” That definitely made Howard’s eyebrows raise and Maria’s face expressed shock. Toni shrugged. “I really just want to go with you guys, please? I just… I have a bad feeling that something’s going to happen if I don’t go with you. I trust my gut, mom always says a woman’s intuition is never wrong.” She admitted, hoping it would sway either parent’s opinion on her tagging along. The three entered into a staring contest, each trying to get the other to back down. Howard broke first with a sigh.

“Fine. It’s about time you learned what Auntie Peggy and I have been doing since our youth.” Howard rubbed the bridge of his nose. Toni blinked, had her dad been thinking of including her in his secret world? Had he been thinking of doing that in her previous lifetime as well? Oddly enough, she was touched. She knew SHIELD meant quite a lot to Howard, so much so that Tony busted his ass trying to keep it afloat even when they took advantage of him. Toni already decided she wouldn’t head down that path, regardless of her father’s love for the organization, but she never expected dear old dad to open the door to said path. She was glad he wasn’t forcing her to join him though, just telling him it exists. She’ll probably have to sign NDAs, but that’s to be expected.

“Thanks daddy!” Toni smiled brightly, hugging her dad with vigor. They were still a bit awkward with each other outside the lab, but Toni had always been physically affectionate. The moment her dad didn’t scorn her away when she first hugged him was the moment he became free real estate for her hugs.

She smiled, quickly grabbing her purse with the modified serum and the tranquilizers before hopping into the backseat of the car. She noticed her dad putting the familiar black briefcase in the trunk, not knowing the contents were altered. Her mom shook her head with a fond smile and went to the shotgun seat just as her father made his way to the driver’s seat. “Make sure to buckle up!” Toni said cheerfully when everyone was in the car. Howard simply grumbled, but clipped his seatbelt dutifully. Maria chuckled as she buckled hers. 

The entire ride Toni was talking animatedly with her parents, making sure to enjoy however much time they had until Barnes showed up. Make no mistake though, her eyes were peeled and looking for wherever the shooter would be hidden. It took a while before she saw a glint coming from the woods, a few seconds later and the car swerved. Both Maria and Howard grunted as the car slammed onto a tree, Toni simply braced herself. She’d have a bruise across her chest from the seatbelt for a few days, but otherwise she was fine. She didn’t know the severity of the damage her parents took considering they were simply reported as dead the last time, but she hoped it wasn’t so bad. Quickly, while Howard and Maria were still in shock from the crash, she grabbed the two tranquilizers and stabbed both her parents with the needle, inserting the liquid and watching as they almost immediately became unconscious. She noticed a figure approaching the car, and quickly downed the super serum vial, not knowing if she’d have another chance. 

“Okay J., time to start the show. Kill the camera.” She didn’t wait for him to give his affirmative before she unbuckled her belt and exited the car. “Hi there Mr. Winter Soldier, you wouldn’t be willing to simply fuck off now would you?” When the soldier simply started to raise his gun she knew her answer. She also immediately dodged, just barely missing the bullet. “Okay first of all, rude! And second of all, Zhelaniye!” 

The soldier immediately tensed, recognizing the word; it was kind of weird how his facial expression never changed from expressionless. He pointed his gun at her again, but she was already on the move. Can’t stay still when there’s an assassin chasing you, after all. She heard him fire at her, feeling a bullet graze her arm. She hissed in pain but continued on saying the words she had dutifully memorized in another lifetime. “Rzhaccy.” Another bullet, another graze. The serum seemed to be working just fine though, considering the first wound was already closing. She smiled at her ingenuity, glad she took the time to develop it.

“Semnadtsat!” She shouted. Her pronunciation was probably shit, but it didn’t matter as long as the words did their job. “Rassvet.” She dodged another bullet, not quite willing to test out if her version of the serum would still heal bullet wounds deeper than a graze. “Pech.” The soldier seemed to give up on shooting her, and started running towards her with a knife in hand. Maybe he ran out of bullets? “Devyat.” She ran as well, away from him. She doubted she’d be able to overpower the soldier, not to mention she didn’t really want to hurt him. She knew he was a victim, after all. “Dobroserdechnyy.” Three more words, she could do this. “Vozvrashcheniye na- Gah!” She barely dodged a knife that he apparently tried throwing at her. “Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu.” She hissed. “Odin.” She jumped over a fallen log and hid behind a tree, dodging another knife. Where did he get all of those knives? “GROZOVOY VAGON!” She finished with a shout.

There was a silence, with the exception of her frantic heart beat. She drew in a deep breath and looked around the tree, praying the soldier didn’t shoot her in the face. He stood in front of her with the same expressionless face he held before. “Ready to comply.” She grinned despite herself.

“Follow me… uh, Soldat.” She paused for a beat before turning to him again with a scowl. “Also, fuck you. Seriously, did you have to shoot so many bullets at me?” She huffed as she started walking back towards the road where her parents didn’t die. Hurray, mission success! She heard shuffling behind her and she knew the soldier was following her, as she had ordered. “Your previous mission is void. I am your new handler, and your new mission is to guard the new base.” She said coldly, making sure not to leave any loopholes in her orders. She couldn’t afford to lose him now that she had him. When HYDRA realizes that their precious asset is gone, she’ll be in such deep shit. Well, as long as they don’t think she’s the one that has their asset she should be fine. She’d have to act like she didn’t know what happened, obviously, but she also had to act scared. Should she mention she saw the Winter Soldier? Or should she simply act like he never showed up? Would HYDRA start stalking her now? 

With a sigh, she made the executive decision of not thinking about that right now. She looked at the familiar sight of her family car and smiled as she saw both her parents sitting there without a bullet in their head or a purple mark on their throat. She did it. She saved them. For once, she felt like she did something right. She drew a shaky breath before going into the backseat and grabbing her purse. There was a piece of paper in it, alongside a key. The address and key to the safehouse. She’d soon have a system to defend the place and have JARVIS implemented in that system, but for now this was as much protection as she could offer.

“Go here and hide. Make sure no one finds or follows you. In a day, food will arrive. It should be enough to last you a month, even with your super soldier metabolism.” She instructed. “Wait for me there, and don’t leave.” He grabbed the paper and the key and nodded. "I'll help you as much as I can." She promised with a soft smile as she watched him leave. Toni sighed, feeling both the adrenalin and the serum start to wear off. She knew her parents would be waking up shortly, so she had to prepare for that. She then grabbed her phone and called 911.

It didn’t take long for an ambulance to be sent their merry way, and Toni was sure to keep her eyes open for any more potential threats up until she saw the glorious white van with a red cross. She sighed with relief when the paramedics came and took her parents. They looked her over, but deemed her healthy enough not to need an ambulance ride to the hospital. Instead, the good officer who was taking her statement would drive her. She loathed to be separated from her parents, but she didn’t argue. It would have been too suspicious if she argued.

She gave her statement, got the ride to the hospital, and waited patiently for the doctors to be done with her parents. In the meanwhile, she called Jarvis to let him know everything was okay and that they just had a minor accident. He’d be there to pick her up in about an hour, and not a second later. She didn’t mind and told him to take his time, she was fine waiting on her parents.

It didn’t take long before her dad woke up, and she smiled brightly at him. They talked for a bit before Maria also woke up. “I’m glad you both are doing okay.” She said honestly, smiling warmly at them. “I love you both.” Her dad froze at her admission and her mom smiled fondly at her.

“We love you too, darling.” Maria reached out for Toni’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“You are my greatest joy, Antoinette.” Toni almost stopped breathing, she looked at her dad with tears in her eyes. She knew he loved her and she knew he knew she loved him, it’s just that the two were never good at admitting their feelings. She couldn’t help the joyful smile on her face. It honestly felt like she was walking on cloud nine. 

“Get better old man, so I can give you a bone crushing hug.” She told him with a grin. He offered her a huff before cracking into a smile. 

“Okay Toni.” 

They continued to talk together for the rest of the night, up until visiting hours were closed and Jarvis arrived to pick up Toni. Unfortunately, her parents had to stay a night just to make sure nothing bad happened, but they’d be back home before she knew it. Toni still felt a spike of anxiety at leaving her parents alone, but there wasn’t much she could do. She didn’t own her own hospital with a high level of security to send them to and she wasn’t a legal adult that could decide what happened to them. She smiled at them as she waved them goodbye, and repeated to herself that she stopped their murder. They were alive and well. 

She saved them.

Toni went to bed with a smile on her face and a light heart.

She woke up with dread.

Maybe it was the way Jarvis was shaking her awake when he should be at home with his wife or maybe it was because she was separated from her newly saved parents. Maybe it was because she heard a barely audible noise coming from downstairs.

Jarvis looked at her with a finger on his lip and she nodded in understanding. As quietly as she could, she slipped out of bed, grabbed her phone and followed Jarvis to her father’s office room. Knowing her dad, there was probably some sort of weapon there he took from the lab to keep working on while Maria slept. Hopefully it was something that would keep them both safe. 

Slowly, Jarvis closed the door behind them and locked it. He put a chair against the door as a second barrier of sorts and looked around. When his eyes landed on a half finished gun, he grimaced. Toni immediately went to the gun and worked as quickly and quietly as she could. It was rather odd, working on such outdated technology she promised to never touch again, but needs must. Jarvis raised a brow at her, but didn’t say a word because he was just utterly amazing like that.

She really did love her butler. Speaking of which… “JARVIS, call 911.” She whispered to her phone. “Tell them what’s going on.” Jarvis frowned at her in utter confusion, not quite understanding just what exactly she expected of him. They needed to be as quiet as possible, and a phone call to the police was certainly not quiet.

“Understood, sir.” A tiny voice was barely heard coming from her phone, startling Jarvis. Toni smiled with pride at how her beautiful creation was already understanding how to act in certain situations; it kept her from falling into a fit of panic. As she finished the gun, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was all her fault. She didn’t remember a break-in the night her parents died in the previous timeline; in fact she didn’t really remember much as Tony was in a constant state of drunkenness for the following few weeks. If she and Jarvis were to die because she wanted to save her parents, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself. She refused to regret stopping Barnes, but she really hoped it didn’t mean Jarvis would have to die. He didn’t deserve that.

She focused on getting the gun finished, having to basically dismantle it and rebuild it to shoot office supplies instead of whatever bullets Howard intended to be used with the gun. She hoped sharpened pencils and her father’s collection of fountain pens at high velocity would do enough damage to neutralize, or at least slow down, the target. With a deep breath she loaded the odd gun and examined it for any errors she might have made. When she was satisfied, she changed the grip in order to be able to use it. To her surprise, Jarvis immediately took the gun from her, giving her a stern glare in case she tried to argue. Which she would have except she noticed her hands were shaking; not the best thing to have happen when you’re holding a gun, pen bullets or not. 

Also, Jarvis fought in a war and probably had more experience handling a gun than she did. Sure, she had her previous life to go by, but even Tony avoided guns as much as possible. Still, she hated how shaken up she was. She also fought in a war, and she went through so much more shit than a home invasion. She was tortured for Franklin’s sake! She should be better than this! So why was she bordering on panic? Just because her actions have consequences? She knew that! She should just be able to deal with whatever fallout happens like she always did. 

Jarvis motioned for her to get under the table, a decent enough hiding spot, so she did. Jarvis might have been a butler, but he knew his shit. He was also kind of freaking her out with his calm demeanor. She briefly wondered if he had done something similar to this before, but quickly dispelled the idea as the man literally refused any calls after 9 so that he may go to bed with his wife. The adorable sap.

“Later,” he whispered as quietly as he could, “you must explain to me why there is a voice named Jarvis coming from your odd celular device.” He spoke in a tone that was pretty much no nonsense and Toni smiled sheepishly. She was also grateful for the hidden meaning. Later, he said. He believed there would be a later. They would be alright. Jarvis’ word was law, so if he said it would be okay then it would be okay.

“And later,” she whispered back, “you’re going to tell me why you’re so calm.” The twinkling look in his eyes matched with his mischievous smile made Toni even more curious. 

“It’s a deal, young miss.” 

They then waited in silence, listening to quiet footsteps skulking through the house. It was nerve wracking. Toni would much rather just be kidnapped so that she could just escape the place with a nifty little explosion happening behind her back as she normally did. She kept reminding herself to take deep breaths, and that everything would be fine. She could protect Jarvis and herself… somehow.

After what felt like literal ages but was closer to a couple of minutes, she heard a noise coming from the other side of the door. She froze, feeling a sense of dread washing over her once more. She felt Jarvis’ free hand gently wrap around hers in an attempt to offer comfort, and she shakily smiled at him. 

She looked around the room, seeing what kind of objects she could use to defend herself. Different plans formed in her mind for different scenarios that she could think of. It didn’t help that she had no idea who was behind that door, but she made educated guesses. She doubted it was Barnes, he left a while ago; but she wouldn’t rule out any Hydra agent. She also wouldn’t rule out SHIELD. 

The doorknob twisted silently, the only indication that the person behind the door was trying to open it. Toni swore she heard her heart thump aggressively against her chest; illogically, she feared the person behind that door heard it too. Seconds felt like years as she waited for the intruder to either open the door or walk away. When the door refused to open, there was no more sound. Toni let out a shaky breath of relief, though she knew the threat wasn’t over. If she had to guess, the asshole on the other side of the door would be checking all of the other rooms before making noise and barging in on this one.

Sometimes, she really hated how she tended to be right when ten agonizingly silent and tense minutes passed and she heard something slam against the door once, twice, five times, seven, and then eleven times, when the door finally gave in and broke. She felt something on her arm, Jarvis' hand. It was meant as a gesture of comfort, but also a reminder to remain calm. She controlled her breathing, waiting silently alongside her pseudo father while listening in to far too loud footsteps around her. Seconds felt like eternities as though time itself were slowing down around her, until suddenly everything happened at once. 

The assailant, a tall male packed with hidden knives, some handguns and a sniper rifle strapped on his back, walked in front of them. He had a gun in hand and a bullet-proof jacket. Desks are only good hiding spots if no one looks at them and, rather unfortunately, the man did. Jarvis was quick to shoot the makeshift gun, definitely surprising the man, and managed to hit him on the eye. It would most definitely be a sight Toni won’t forget anytime soon. The man shouted in pain and immediately pressed the trigger, shooting several bullets in their general direction. Thankfully, both Jarvis and herself were quick enough to get out of the desk before any shots were fired. Toni pushed passed him, somehow knocking the man over as she moved away quickly.

Jarvis and Toni immediately ran towards the door, attempting to get out of there as quickly as possible. "I have checked the security logs, there is a vehicle available in the garage." JARVIS spoke from the phone in her pocket. Jarvis looked at her and nodded, already leading the charge towards the garage. Toni easily followed, not daring to look behind her. She knew that if she looked back she'd only get distracted and might even become compromised with fear. She needed to focus.

Soon enough, they made it to the garage. Toni knew they didn't have much time to leave considering she was already hearing footsteps as she entered the car, but she refused to lose herself to panic. They were almost out anyways, just turn the car on and drive. Sitting in the passenger side, she closed her eyes for a moment as Jarvis clicked on his seatbelt and recollected herself. She felt the car start to move and she opened her eyes again. Soon enough, the two were speeding through the Stark's stupid long driveway, Toni couldn't help the smile that formed when Jarvis cut through the front yard. She felt the muscles in her body ease up as the dread started to seep out of her.

Not a second later she heard a gunshot, followed by Jarvis swerving the car. It was this moment as the car crashed onto a tree that she couldn't help but wonder why the fuck she forgot to put on her seatbelt. She was quick to protect her head as she was slammed against the window, breaking through it and harshly landing on the ground. Dear Einstein she felt a world of pain, almost as badly as getting open heart surgery in Afghanistan. 

The world was white noise for a moment and her vision was blurred. She noticed a figure approaching her, but he was so far away. He was leaving her house and she was… somewhere. She couldn't really think much, there was just pain. Suddenly, the figure was right next to her lifting her up. Harsh noises came from him, and she didn't understand. It hurt too fucking much for her to understand. She closed her eyes, only to feel something aggressively shake her. Something told her she had to understand, so she forced herself to focus. She looked at the man's lips, trying to read them. 

"...the fuck did you know the triggers?" The words barely came through, but Toni heard them. Triggers? She looked up in confusion, not quite understanding what this man was trying to ask of her. He shook her again, and she gritted her teeth in pain. She glanced to the car to see Jarvis's unconscious figure over the wheel, dread began to mix in with the pain as she started remembering what situation she was in. She grimaced, realizing she was probably heavily concussed. Another shake. Shit, that hurt. "I don't have all night, kid." 

"Fuck this." She felt something cold against her temple and holy fuck did it feel amazing against the raging headache; that is, until she realized just what he had put on her head: the tip of a gun. Oh, she died here. She closed her eyes accepting this fate. She didn't care much if she lived or died now, she already lived her life anyways. It was just a bummer that her second chance would end so soon.

A bang could be heard, followed by the drop of a body. 

Toni felt nauseous and dizzy as she hit the grass below her. She opened her eyes noticing the assailant's body in front of hers, she noticed the blood seeping out of the fresh hole on his head. It didn't take long before she numbly felt her body being lifted yet again, though this time it was gentler and firmer. She felt herself be pulled towards something warm and firm. She forced her eyes to focus and saw a familiar.

"Stay awake, malyshka." The words were said in a harsh murmur, but there was no ill intent in them. It was strangely almost comforting. As much as she wanted to comply to the gruff words, she could feel unconsciousness creeping closer. With the last of her will power, she looked once more towards the car wreck. Jarvis was awake now, staring in horror at her as he was unable to do anything to assist her. She felt relief knowing he was alive. Good, no regrets then.

She closed her eyes happily as she was taken further and further away from her home and her pseudo father. Not much she could do about it, but she did say she preferred to be kidnapped anyhow. At least this way she could make a fun explosion or something of the sort.  _ Bring it _ , she thought.

She smiled as unconsciousness finally took hold of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malyshka - little girl in Russian

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! For those of you who read my other Avengers (who am I kidding it's all Tony Stark fanfic), you know I can't help but write something once I get inspired. So here's this.  
> I probably won't continue working on this unless I get a huge following (cause then I just can't disappoint you guys!)  
> If you're interested in how the rest of the story could go, give me a shout and I might write more.  
> I still don't know what ships will be happening in this story... I just really wanted to write this chapter.


End file.
